ITL- What bring you to God?

What is it that brings you to communion with God? That was the question tonight at our ‘in the light service’. Steve is back from sabbatical and we are discussing all of the things he learned about emerging worship or ancient worship. We realized that all people have a different trigger. I think this is partly because we all come with our own set of baises and fears. Cheryl doesn’t like choir music because she was forced to listen to it when she was young. She doesn’t care for chant type or organ music because it reminds her of all the religious churches that are based on legalism and that have rejected and damaged gays and lesbians throughout the ages. Jackie loves that kind of music because it reminds her of the time in her life when she came to know God in church. Becky is afraid of water and so the pictures of lakes and oceans are disturbing to her and Amy loves the beach, not just pictures of beaches, but actually touching the sand and the water. Jack doesn’t care too much for children that are not his so the picture of children did nothing for him and yet it touched Cheryl profoundly. I can’t handle the quite very well because my mind wanders. I can worship God better and connect better if I am listening to music or hearing preaching or writing. My thoughts and prayers to God are all written or sung. I carry a prayer in my heart and I speak in silence, but I am not silent. For instance, right this moment I am writing and I am listening to the TV at the same time. I know what is going on in both arenas. A man asked me today if I was listening to both him and talking to amother woman at the same time. I was. And I know what both wanted. My mind runs, but I am constantly seeking God’s word or voice in my life. I think sometimes my “God” hearing is failing. But this worship idea is a round table of ideas and stimuli that move this body towards God. Nature, song, people, children. The one thing that I didn’t see that moves me greatly is animals. I am so in love with the God of creation that I marvel at His works. I picked up a dragon fly yesterday and held it on my finger. It stayed there for a while and then just flew off. It was odd because I had heard something weird on the ground and looked to find this dragon fly flinging itself into the ground repeatedly. It was so bizzare. I actually asked it what it was doing and then picked it up. It seemed to shake off whatever was going on with it and then it flew off. It was really amazing to hold this creature on my finger and just watch it. I was hearing from God just then. You see, I’m strange. I am a woman who loves bugs…for the most part. Spiders are fascinating and snakes are really cool. God made them and it’s amazing! I love the rabbits that run through the fields behind my house. I love the mice, although I don’t want them in my house. Let’s not get craxy I don’t like roaches, although they are amazing, flies or moquitoes. It’s still all amazing to me! ANYWAY, no matter the stimuli, no matter the setting, everyone is different in their quest to know and be known by God. Whatever it is that brings you there, do that thing over and over and over again and do it with all the God passion in your life.